She was doing so well...

[ErinM31]

That is pretty cool!!! I never really wanted a sling because of how fragile they are. especially since the species I am wanting are very slow growing. But again.. you can't really find euathulus species red anywhere except a sling and when you find them older... they get snatched up so quickly. I also don't always have the funds for the older ones. It's kinda funny. My plan has always been to get the euthulus... grow with that one and grow out of my fear... then once I have loved that one and been good at that goal... by an adult b. smithi. They are beautiful. But I admit... an adult that size and possibly a lil less nicer than a euathulus species red... kinda still scares me. At least the euathulus is smaller and usually known to be more docile. I could at least handle that. The b. smithi for me is like... advanced lmao. I know it's no where near an advanced species for you all. but for me... it is. I only ever planned on having at most two Ts. And it's those two species. I never wanted nor do I want a rose hair or a curly hair.

No shame in that! I may never get any Old World T's just because I have no desire for a T as skittish, defensive and/or venomous as I have read that most/all of them are. I know what you mean about the size -- I found my adult Aphonopelma chalcodes beautiful but was just a bit intimidated about picking her up at first. Thankfully, she is a very calm tarantula and especially once she settled into her new home, not defensive at all. While my mature male A. chalcodes is rather more skittish, he doesn't mind occasional handling and his antics and manner of moving are rather humorous -- yesterday, as he was trying to catch a cricket, he somehow wound up on his back with it and the cricket got away, albeit temporarily.

Perhaps a juvenile B. smithi would be ideal for you? That way, it would still be small and not too expensive but large enough to be hardy and hopefully of known temperament and gender.

 

[basin79]

And Brachypelma Smithi are so, so, so beautiful. This is my lass. Bought her a few years ago as a small juvenile.

 

[Jeff23]

Sorry about the loss of your T. Don't blame yourself for this. As stated by others, slings are always vulnerable.

I have to admit that I haven't read everyone's posts, but if nobody has recommended Eupalaestrus campestratus (Pink Zebra Beauty) you should take a look at them.
They are rated as extremely docile. Look at the description for them on Net Bug. They are not active like E. Sp. Red but will eat more often making them grow quicker. This means they will reach a stable point much faster. Unfortunately you would still have to buy a fairly small sling since they sell fast and at high prices as juveniles and adults. Mine started as a 1/3" sling and has doubled in size in just a few months. This isn't considered as fast growth but is much faster than E. Sp. Red.

EDIT* Note that this species does burrow quite often as a sling. If you provide it a nice hide it may not burrow as much, but expect it to disappear for time periods until it gets some size. I put pre-kill in for mine when it is burrowing and remove it if it is uneaten 24 hours later.

 

[ErinM31]

If you've decided to wait on getting another tarantula, another option that might help in overcoming your fear of spiders is the ornate harvestman, Vonones ornata. They are VERY low maintenance, completely harmless and rather interesting creatures to watch.